perfectly good connections to Amsterdam, while those heading west can hop over to Dublin. Admittedly it’s a 180-mile drive to Edinburgh, or three-and-a-half hours by rail, but even that is quicker than flying to – and fighting through – Heathrow airport. True, if one needs to send an employee
from Bristol to Baku, then Heathrow is probably the best option, but if their destination is Bydgoszcz (Poland), then Birmingham is just up the M5. For the time being, Adrian Parkes, chief
executive of the GTMC, is hedging his bets. “When comparing regional airports
to London and the south-east, Manchester is widely regarded as the only airport to have made the leap into the top five airports in the UK [along with Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton] and be classed as an international gateway,” he says. “That said, for regional airports to compete with London and other interna- tional airports, it will require significant advances in both smaller aircraft technology and the deployment of the right type
JOIN THE DOTS
How regional airports are ramping up investment (CAA’s 2017 annual passenger figures in brackets)
•MANCHESTER (27.8 million) The
airport’s £1 billion programme continues. It’s one of the largest construction projects in the UK with 1,500 workers on site and around £1 million a day being spent throughout 2018. It supports the local economy by engaging regional suppliers and 150 apprentices. The first new stands will open this summer and the first pier is set to open in April 2019. The steelwork is underway for the main terminal extension which will open for summer 2020.
•EDINBURGH (13.4 million) Work
is ongoing in an £80 million expansion project, but the big news is the arrival of Hainan Airlines and the start of a four-a- week service to Beijing. United Airlines is starting a daily operation to Washington DC, complementing existing flights to Newark and Chicago. Other new services include flights to Jersey, Seville, Sofia, and year-round link to Helsinki.
•BIRMINGHAM (13 million) The
airport recently became an associate member of the GTMC, and is in the midst of a multimillion pound development project which will see the opening of a 178-room Hilton Garden Inn hotel this summer while Primera Air is launching routes to New York, Boston and Toronto.
•GLASGOW (9.9 million) The first
BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM
phase of its expanded security facility will accelerate passenger flows. Lufthansa has launched a daily Glasgow-Frankfurt
service. Delta started flights to New York last year and Korean Air’s service to Seoul was reintroduced.
•BRISTOL (8.2 million) A draft
masterplan is imminent which aims to expand capacity to 15 million passengers per annum by the 2030s rising to 20 million a decade later. This summer BMI ups its Bristol-Paris frequencies to eight per week.
•BELFAST INTERNATIONAL
(5.8 million) It is investing another £8.8 million in capital projects this year.
•NEWCASTLE (5.3 million) There is a •LIVERPOOL JOHN LENNON •EAST MIDLANDS (4.9 million)
plan to expand its terminal building with extra check-in facilities, executive lounges and baggage handling facilities.
(4.9 million) Its masterplan has been updated to include expanding the terminal building and extending the runway to accommodate long-haul services.
The aim is to double its passenger throughput by the 2030s. It wants to attract more long-haul operations to complement existing New York services, among others.
•LEEDS BRADFORD (4 million) It has
been acquired by investor AMP Capital, which sees “strong growth prospects”. Previous owner Bridgepoint Advisors had spent £30 million on capital investments.
•ABERDEEN (3 million) The airport •GEORGE BEST BELFAST CITY
is midway through a three-year £20 million ‘Terminal Transformation’ which is set to boost the size of the terminal building by 50 per cent.
(2.6 million) A £15 million investment plan includes an upgrade of the departure lounge and central security area.
•SOUTHAMPTON (2 million) Flybe
flights to Dublin have been increased to four times a day.
•CARDIFF WALES (1.5 million) Qatar
Airways is starting a service to Doha, and other new routes include Madrid, Rome and Guernsey. Plans include expanding the Executive Lounge.
•DONCASTER SHEFFIELD
(1.3 million) A masterplan has been drawn up to create a central hub of an airport city known as Aerotropolis.
BBT May/June 2018 135
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